Residency Program Accreditation

Institutional and Residency Program Accreditation is a voluntary process of quality assurance and quality improvement supported by the faculties (schools) of medicine at Canadian universities.

The purpose of the accreditation of residency programs by the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) Residency Accreditation Committee is twofold:

To attest to the educational quality of accredited programs

To ensure uniformity and portability to allow residents from across Canada to qualify for Certification (core family medicine and domains of added competence) as residency-eligible candidates

All family medicine residency programs in Canada are accredited by the CFPC on an 8-year cycle with a focus on continuous quality improvement.

Standards of Accreditation for Residency Programs in Family Medicine (The Red Book)

The Standards of Accreditation for Residency Programs in Family Medicine are a national set of standards maintained by the CFPC for the evaluation and accreditation of family medicine residency programs. The standards apply to both family medicine and enhanced skills programs. They aim to provide an interpretation of the General Standards of Accreditation for Residency Programs as they relate to the accreditation of programs in family medicine, and to ensure that these programs adequately prepare residents to meet the health care needs of their patient population(s) upon completion of training.

The standards include requirements applicable to residency programs and learning sitesand have been written in alignment with a Standards Organization Framework, which aims to provide clarity of expectations while maintaining flexibility for innovation.

The General Standards of Accreditation are a national set of standards maintained conjointly by the Canadian Residency Accreditation Consortium (CanRAC) constituted of the College of Family Physicians of Canada, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and Collège des médecins du Québec for the evaluation and accreditation of institutions with residency programs and residency programs.

The Standards of Accreditation for Residency Programs in Family Medicine (The Red Book) have been written to encompass the General Standards of Accreditation for Residency Programs; therefore, the Red Book does not need to be read in conjunction with the General Standards of Accreditation for Residency Programs. It is a stand-alone document.

The CanAMS is a new digital tool designed to facilitate and support the medical education accreditation process and related activities both internally to the College (Residency Accreditation Committee), as well as for external stakeholders (universities) across the continuum of Canadian medical education accreditation. This tool will enhance the pre-visit, onsite review, and report development processes, integrate with other relevant systems, store all institutional and program accreditation information and evidence within a single repository for ease of access and use, and deliver an intuitive and user-friendly experience to all stakeholders.

To read more about the Accreditation Reform, CanERA, CanRAC and CanAMS, visit www.canera.ca.